Where Words Cannot Reach
by ibuberu
Summary: Some people do not need words to communicate. – JunHikari.


**world – **game**  
notes** – if we look at it from an abstract point, Hikari and Jun are long-distance lovers.  
This is short, but I kind of still like it. I haven't written JunHikari in eons. This is based off the stunning poem, 'The Quiet World' by Jeffery McDaniel.

* * *

**where words cannot reach**

Jun does not greet her good morning when she opens her door, eyes weary and inky hair defying gravity, half-comatose in her cotton slippers and rumpled striped pajamas. He steels himself, and succeeds in only chuckling softly – the sight of the new Champion reduced to a mess of yawns and grunts is nothing short of satisfying (and so warmly familiar he cannot help but smirk).

He boisterously welcomes himself into the hallway, almost bowling Hikari down in the process. It is not entirely his intention, but his excitement gets the better of him as he explores the familiar curves and nooks of the house he has long left unvisited, too elated to contain his emotions with words.

Before Hikari can finish half of her bowl of cereal, Jun grabs her hand wordlessly and yanks her out the door, cutting her from saying goodbye to her mother. But the wise woman only nods in a good-natured way, smiling as the postponed ritual finally falls back into place.

* * *

They quickly reestablish themselves with even the smallest corners of the town, the unchanged neighbours with their wide eyes and proud smiles. They smell the unforgettable tang of a lake's waters, the scent that has always lingered around the peach of their noses.

* * *

He sticks his tongue out in a taunt, and before long she is already leaping over the little stream and landing loudly into the lumpy cushion of some bushes on the opposite bank. Twigs and leaves make nest in her hair and she is too embarrassed to snap at Jun's resultant laughing storm. The sound is haunting to her ears, and as much as it is provoking, she cannot deny how much she has missed it.

They run and jump and fly on the wings of their staraptors – finally able to do what they have dreamed of no less than five years ago. At one point when they rest in the cotton of the clouds, Jun shoots her an intelligent glare, his head nodding towards the pinnacle of Mount Coronet. And Hikari just shakes her head furiously in lightning-fast response – just because she is the Champion, it does not automatically crown her as a madwoman. Jun frowns, attempting to look dejected, but his friend just pinches his nose in response.

* * *

At the end of the day, he has plenty of energy left to expend – this ability cultivated from tree-climbing competitions and races across the longest streets of town; from camping under checkered bed sheets and enduring sleepless nights spent penning worlds of fantasy with only the tongue of a child.

Jun grins widely and finally lets go of her hand when they reach the mat of her doorstep, watching the way she tries to steady her breathing and calm the tempo of her heart. He hears the wind change its course and the leaves perform their night time dance all in the backdrop of the flutter of dazed eyes.

He reads her thoughts easily from the delicate smile spreading across her flushed face and the fatigue of satisfaction in her eyes. Jun had assumed that travelling throughout Sinnoh would have improved her stamina. But then the boy cannot complain – it simply proves how Hikari is essentially the same girl she was from before – give or take a historical title or two.

They stand alone under the light of the porch for a brief time, exchanging breaths of air and unbridled grins – the heat of companionship even on the coldest of nights. She wraps his scarf tighter around his neck, and he lets her, not forgetting to act hesitant – just to see her eye him knowingly. When she moves to go into the house, he places a hand onto her shoulder to stop her. She turns and opens her mouth, about to tell him that she is too tired to do anything anymore.

But before that happens, his hand clamps over her mouth and he chuckles again at the alarm that breaches the silent grey of her eyes. He shakes his head and gestures to the grassy backyard with a nod.

* * *

They spend the night quietly on a king-sized bed of grass, watching the stars light up in the sky above. They realise the day has long worn out, before their words can even catch up.

They sigh in contented unison, and the words 'I love you' imprint themselves into the fog of the spring air.


End file.
